Internet users in India is expected to reach 450-465 million by 2017

With the biggest surge in smartphone adoption happening in India and Vietnam and user base expected to grow by almost 20 per cent in both countries, eMarketer market research firm has said that the year will see 3.47 billion people using the Internet.

Internet users will embody 46.8 per cent of the global population and mobile phones will be the prime device for Internet access, used by 2.73 billion people, the firm added.

Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and market research firm IMRB International said that the number of Internet users in India is projected to reach 450-465 million. The report said overall Internet penetration in India was presently around 31 per cent.

Rising digital markets in Asia-Pacific region, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa will see the fastest Internet user growth from 2017-21, driven by widening mobile broadband coverage and smartphone adoption.

By 2019, more than half of the world will access the Internet frequently and in 2021 more than four billion people will be online.

However, Internet user growth will fall from 6.1% this year to 3.5% by 2021 as Internet use hits diffusion, the report said.

However, tablet penetration among Internet users will decline this year.

Down from 33.2 per cent in 2016, about 32.9 per cent of Internet users worldwide will access a tablet this year.